What do you think?
Rate this book
Reborn #1
Reborn
The Terran Interplanetary Empire has not seen such days of peace for many years. The civil war between Terra and Alpha Centauri has diminished to just the occasional scuffle.
In this calm, Captain Rhys Griffiths has been stationed on a quiet, dilapidated port on Ceres. The war is not expected to reach so far within the Asteroid Belt.
But when one of Rhys's closest and oldest friends defects to Alpha Centauri, it sets in motion a chain of events that will irrevocably change Rhys's life.
For better or for worse is yet to be seen.
In this calm, Captain Rhys Griffiths has been stationed on a quiet, dilapidated port on Ceres. The war is not expected to reach so far within the Asteroid Belt.
But when one of Rhys's closest and oldest friends defects to Alpha Centauri, it sets in motion a chain of events that will irrevocably change Rhys's life.
For better or for worse is yet to be seen.
ebook
First published May 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
J.F.R. Coates
22 books56 followersJ.F.R. Coates is a speculative fiction author, focusing in fantasy and science fiction. Her work tends to focus away from the human characters of the setting, instead giving life to the creatures that dwell alongside the familiar. From dragons and gryphons, to creatures of her own creation - like the ailur or starat - these story worlds are full of fascinating creatures to get to know.
Born and raised in picturesque Somerset, England, J.F.R. Coates moved to Brisbane in Australia as a teenager. She grew up reading from a young age, starting with Enid Blyton's The Famous Five and Secret Seven, before finding her calling with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Fantasy has gripped her ever since, and now she calls amongst her favourite authors Maggie Furey, Philip Pullman, and Robin Hobb.
Born and raised in picturesque Somerset, England, J.F.R. Coates moved to Brisbane in Australia as a teenager. She grew up reading from a young age, starting with Enid Blyton's The Famous Five and Secret Seven, before finding her calling with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Fantasy has gripped her ever since, and now she calls amongst her favourite authors Maggie Furey, Philip Pullman, and Robin Hobb.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 11, 2022
What an interesting little book this was. Sci-fi, but with an interesting twist with the addition of sentient anthro stoats (?), unlike anything that I've ever read before. Very heavy on the characters and character development, although the world building left me curious, and I'm hoping for more of it in the following books. A lot of little details were mentioned about the world that make me want to learn more.
Story was quite interesting, albeit with a slow start, but it picked up quite significantly towards the end, and got quite.... intense and heavy, to say the least... Story seems pretty black and white so far, and I'm curious to see if it remains that way, or if certain morals and agendas will become more complex as the story further develops.
Overall, a very enjoyable read that I would highly recommend, but I do have to warn that it does contain some scenes with heavy violence that may not be everyone's cup of tea. Definitely gonna be reading more of this series.
Story was quite interesting, albeit with a slow start, but it picked up quite significantly towards the end, and got quite.... intense and heavy, to say the least... Story seems pretty black and white so far, and I'm curious to see if it remains that way, or if certain morals and agendas will become more complex as the story further develops.
Overall, a very enjoyable read that I would highly recommend, but I do have to warn that it does contain some scenes with heavy violence that may not be everyone's cup of tea. Definitely gonna be reading more of this series.
June 20, 2025
nothing to complain about, if you wanna read the emotional tale of a captain-turned-weasel, read this and you'll have a good time.
February 13, 2024
I have complicated feelings on this book. Broadly, it's very well-written (although I noticed a weirdly large number of typos, for whatever reason) and well put together. It has a simple plot, with a simple message that's hard to argue with. Excellent world-building, showing a dismal, hyper-religious, fascistic society in a state of self-imposed decay. I found how the idea of waking up with a brand-new, completely unfamiliar body was dealt with to be very realistic, which it made it one of the more compelling aspects of the book for me. That's all fine.
Despite that, I'm left unsure about where the series is heading. It is only the first book, so without having read the others (yet), I can only speculate. But if things remain this straight-forward, then I can only expect the whole series to be more or less another "white savior" story. What I mean by that is, at the moment, it's a fairly no-frills story about a member of a privileged class becoming a part of an unprivileged class, but whose status as an outsider gives him special authority within the unprivileged class. There is a little bit of pushback against this, of course, both from the protagonist and from some of the starats (the slave-class in this dystopian future society he becomes a part of), but the narrative arc is definitely there.
I'm also not that keen on Captain Rhys, the book's protagonist--while reading his responses to his unusual situation, he seemed to mostly sway with the breeze. I think I felt this because a lot of focus is devoted in the first half of the book to his response to the physical trauma of swapping bodies, which left little room for anything but self-pity. And yet, despite the revulsion he apparently felt at this turn of events, he seemed very quickly to become sympathetic to the plight of the starats, who in turn are also very quick to invite him into their community. I wanted to see more tension than there was, for all the reasons that the Captain enunciates in his inner monologue. Until he became one of them, he saw them as barely more than furniture. I admit this might just be a reflection of my own cynicism, but I feel like it usually takes more time for someone like that to make that hard of a turn.
And I wonder if the author might have felt the same way in some respects, because the book ends with one of the more dramatic shoves on the protagonist's psyche I've seen in a long time.
So while I did enjoy reading the book, I have some trepidation about where the series is heading. If it doesn't take a swing (perhaps a shift to one of the native starat's points of view), I could see myself growing disinterested enough to put it down. But for now I am intrigued enough to read the next one and find out.
Despite that, I'm left unsure about where the series is heading. It is only the first book, so without having read the others (yet), I can only speculate. But if things remain this straight-forward, then I can only expect the whole series to be more or less another "white savior" story. What I mean by that is, at the moment, it's a fairly no-frills story about a member of a privileged class becoming a part of an unprivileged class, but whose status as an outsider gives him special authority within the unprivileged class. There is a little bit of pushback against this, of course, both from the protagonist and from some of the starats (the slave-class in this dystopian future society he becomes a part of), but the narrative arc is definitely there.
I'm also not that keen on Captain Rhys, the book's protagonist--while reading his responses to his unusual situation, he seemed to mostly sway with the breeze. I think I felt this because a lot of focus is devoted in the first half of the book to his response to the physical trauma of swapping bodies, which left little room for anything but self-pity. And yet, despite the revulsion he apparently felt at this turn of events, he seemed very quickly to become sympathetic to the plight of the starats, who in turn are also very quick to invite him into their community. I wanted to see more tension than there was, for all the reasons that the Captain enunciates in his inner monologue. Until he became one of them, he saw them as barely more than furniture. I admit this might just be a reflection of my own cynicism, but I feel like it usually takes more time for someone like that to make that hard of a turn.
And I wonder if the author might have felt the same way in some respects, because the book ends with one of the more dramatic shoves on the protagonist's psyche I've seen in a long time.
So while I did enjoy reading the book, I have some trepidation about where the series is heading. If it doesn't take a swing (perhaps a shift to one of the native starat's points of view), I could see myself growing disinterested enough to put it down. But for now I am intrigued enough to read the next one and find out.
July 18, 2022
That is a wonderful series! It is not often a book(s) manages to capture my attention like that. I already knew the story was going to be at least decent before even starting, based on the author's Destiny of Dragons series that I've found great in the past, so I've bought these books blindly, without even reading the description, which has lead to some fun being blindsided by completely unexpected twists.
I am rating all books in this series 5/5 simply because I really enjoyed the storytelling. That said, there are things a discerning reader might take an issue with. I've found some of the reasoning for the protagonists actions in the story a little lacking - the story focuses on character development almost entirely, leaving worldbuilding fairly thin. I would have liked more in depth explanations on technologies being used and reasoning for the differences in know-how upon which a lot of the plot has been built on. The story also does little with the whole concept of 'subspace', which could have used a lot more development, seeing how important it is, particularly with the events in the second half of the series. I've also found romance in the books a little rushed, especially towards the end. It is sweet and fairly well-written, but I would have liked more development before it got in to full swing, it felt too abrupt. It might be just me, because I have this observation fairly often with many different authors (I think it's the influence of Of The Wilds showing).
The aforementioned did not detract me from the story itself almost at all. Wonderful premise, the pacing is good, the plot is kept interesting with many twists, which combined with a fairly thin plot armor makes for quite a few intense scenes having the reader hold their breath until conclusion. That was quite refreshing.
I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for good furry literature.
I am rating all books in this series 5/5 simply because I really enjoyed the storytelling. That said, there are things a discerning reader might take an issue with. I've found some of the reasoning for the protagonists actions in the story a little lacking - the story focuses on character development almost entirely, leaving worldbuilding fairly thin. I would have liked more in depth explanations on technologies being used and reasoning for the differences in know-how upon which a lot of the plot has been built on. The story also does little with the whole concept of 'subspace', which could have used a lot more development, seeing how important it is, particularly with the events in the second half of the series. I've also found romance in the books a little rushed, especially towards the end. It is sweet and fairly well-written, but I would have liked more development before it got in to full swing, it felt too abrupt. It might be just me, because I have this observation fairly often with many different authors (I think it's the influence of Of The Wilds showing).
The aforementioned did not detract me from the story itself almost at all. Wonderful premise, the pacing is good, the plot is kept interesting with many twists, which combined with a fairly thin plot armor makes for quite a few intense scenes having the reader hold their breath until conclusion. That was quite refreshing.
I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for good furry literature.
November 9, 2025
I’d become aware of this story through being in a writing group with the author, and it was brought to my radar when they were pushing sales of their work to support their upcoming surgery. Intrigued by the cover, I purchased the first one to test the waters. It usually tends that if I like the first one I tend to go all in, and this one was no exception.
The book follows the story of Captain Rhys Griffiths, a human captain in an empire that uses and breeds starats, a stoat like race of sapients that are used as slave labor and regarded as little more than disposable. One day though a technological mishap he finds himself in a copy of the body of one of the starats, and suddenly his career is threatened by his new status as one of the underclass. It is perhaps a common trope in scifi settings to allow for a quick transformation in the case where someone goes from one thing to the other, but while we don’t see the slow burn of a gradual transformation the time is instead spent on the aftereffects and adjustment period.
Something oft overlooked in mainstream stories, this is one of the hallmarks of furry writing, because authors of our inclinations love to explore what it means to be something else, as well as learning to be who you are and facing a new perspective which teaches you more of what you never learned before. It’s hard not to have an open mind when you are suddenly on the other side of the looking glass.
Captain Rhys is fortunate to have a mostly supportive crew, superior officer, and friendly starats who teach him what life is like for them, and how much they hope will come from a human in a starat body. While for the most part he manages to avoid too much negative consequences early on it is clear from the way people treat him that starats are regarded harshly and in some cases cruelly. We see from his exposure to the others of his kind how much he begins to identify with them and in time, prefer his new state of being.
The characters were all enjoyable, especially Captain Rhys and his template, Twitch. Providing much joy in the majority of the novel, Twitch does a wonderful job teaching Rhys how to be a starat, something many of us trans people wish we had when we transitioned.
But of course, not everything goes according to plan, as the book’s antagonist finally catches up with him.
I think that for the most part it was a highly enjoyable read. I especially loved the early adjustment to his new situation, and I learned a new word, aptophilia, which apparently refers to the furry predilection to enjoying the awkwardness of learning to live in a non human body. Anyone who’s a transformation fan is a student of that one, even if they don’t realize it. The setting was not explored as much as it could be, with most of the time spent on the ship or the accompanying base, but this is something that I expect will be addressed in the sequels. The world was established well with the key players clear and the challenges straightforward, and although it is obvious that at the end of book one there is more to come, it provides a satisfying ending, interesting the reader for more.
Overall this book was fantastic. It captured me early, and I will definitely be reading the other books in the series. Only complaint, not enough female starats.
The book follows the story of Captain Rhys Griffiths, a human captain in an empire that uses and breeds starats, a stoat like race of sapients that are used as slave labor and regarded as little more than disposable. One day though a technological mishap he finds himself in a copy of the body of one of the starats, and suddenly his career is threatened by his new status as one of the underclass. It is perhaps a common trope in scifi settings to allow for a quick transformation in the case where someone goes from one thing to the other, but while we don’t see the slow burn of a gradual transformation the time is instead spent on the aftereffects and adjustment period.
Something oft overlooked in mainstream stories, this is one of the hallmarks of furry writing, because authors of our inclinations love to explore what it means to be something else, as well as learning to be who you are and facing a new perspective which teaches you more of what you never learned before. It’s hard not to have an open mind when you are suddenly on the other side of the looking glass.
Captain Rhys is fortunate to have a mostly supportive crew, superior officer, and friendly starats who teach him what life is like for them, and how much they hope will come from a human in a starat body. While for the most part he manages to avoid too much negative consequences early on it is clear from the way people treat him that starats are regarded harshly and in some cases cruelly. We see from his exposure to the others of his kind how much he begins to identify with them and in time, prefer his new state of being.
The characters were all enjoyable, especially Captain Rhys and his template, Twitch. Providing much joy in the majority of the novel, Twitch does a wonderful job teaching Rhys how to be a starat, something many of us trans people wish we had when we transitioned.
But of course, not everything goes according to plan, as the book’s antagonist finally catches up with him.
I think that for the most part it was a highly enjoyable read. I especially loved the early adjustment to his new situation, and I learned a new word, aptophilia, which apparently refers to the furry predilection to enjoying the awkwardness of learning to live in a non human body. Anyone who’s a transformation fan is a student of that one, even if they don’t realize it. The setting was not explored as much as it could be, with most of the time spent on the ship or the accompanying base, but this is something that I expect will be addressed in the sequels. The world was established well with the key players clear and the challenges straightforward, and although it is obvious that at the end of book one there is more to come, it provides a satisfying ending, interesting the reader for more.
Overall this book was fantastic. It captured me early, and I will definitely be reading the other books in the series. Only complaint, not enough female starats.
January 15, 2024
I genuinely did not know what to expect with this book. My only previous experience with Coates’ works was a few chapters of Axinstone that I read 5 (or something) years ago. But this is a series that I need to continue.
Even though the novel is clearly a furry POV, I was told that it wouldn't appear that way at the start. In that end, the novel does take a while to get going. But that is fairly common in introductory novels to series, so I wasn't gonna let that stop me from reading all of it.
And there are so many things that I've adored with it. Primarily the starrats (the furry species of the novel). Pretty much each character had at least one moment that made me fall in love with them and made me want to destroy anyone who wants them harm…and there are plenty of those. The vast majority of humanity is depicted as villains, with exceptions. They are cruel, almost to a ridiculous level. And being in the POV of a species that gets treated with such genuine disgust, does not make you hate them any less.
Rhys was absolutely a glorious protagonist. He goes through so many shifts to his personality that you sorta get to like him more and more for everything he goes through.
The visual descriptions in this novel are a breath of fresh air in the sci-fi genre. Where usually everything is described in ridiculous detail so it's impossible to visualize any of it. The descriptions here are kept gratefully simple and let you fill in some blanks yourself.
I did have a slight problem remembering the human crewmates by their names though for most of the time. But thankfully whenever I struggled, then a comment as to their ranks was usually less than a page away.
I can't justify giving this novel any less than 5 stars. I do recommend it. It wasn't even completely overpoweringly sci-fi. So people who struggle with sci-fi might still love it.
Even though the novel is clearly a furry POV, I was told that it wouldn't appear that way at the start. In that end, the novel does take a while to get going. But that is fairly common in introductory novels to series, so I wasn't gonna let that stop me from reading all of it.
And there are so many things that I've adored with it. Primarily the starrats (the furry species of the novel). Pretty much each character had at least one moment that made me fall in love with them and made me want to destroy anyone who wants them harm…and there are plenty of those. The vast majority of humanity is depicted as villains, with exceptions. They are cruel, almost to a ridiculous level. And being in the POV of a species that gets treated with such genuine disgust, does not make you hate them any less.
Rhys was absolutely a glorious protagonist. He goes through so many shifts to his personality that you sorta get to like him more and more for everything he goes through.
The visual descriptions in this novel are a breath of fresh air in the sci-fi genre. Where usually everything is described in ridiculous detail so it's impossible to visualize any of it. The descriptions here are kept gratefully simple and let you fill in some blanks yourself.
I did have a slight problem remembering the human crewmates by their names though for most of the time. But thankfully whenever I struggled, then a comment as to their ranks was usually less than a page away.
I can't justify giving this novel any less than 5 stars. I do recommend it. It wasn't even completely overpoweringly sci-fi. So people who struggle with sci-fi might still love it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews